Life is beatiful
by Keep calm. We have hulk
Summary: AU. M'Gann stayed to help the Team get Aqualad back to the Bioship in Bialya, so someone else had to come and rescue him. Someone he'd forgotten long ago in the tunnels of Cadmus; the source of his ever-present anger. And the apparent new member of the Team. Superboy/OC friendship, Robin/OC romance.
1. Chapter 1

Pain of Loss (or) Someone's a Savior  
The Team was standing in the desert, arguing about how to handle the Aqualad and Superboy situation. M'Gann felt a wave of painful nausea hit her hard. "No! Superboy's in pain!" she cried. She was about to fly off, when Robin caught her arm.  
"M'Gann, you have to get Aqualad to the Bioship. I promise we'll all look for Superboy together when our leader is safe, but if we don't get Aqualad water and rest soon, he's going to die," he insisted.  
M'Gann looked at Robin, then back at the sky in confliction. She lowered herself to the ground slowly, bowing her head. "You're right," she agreed quietly. "Superboy can hold out until we get there, right?"  
"Absolutely," Artemis permitted without hesitation. "He's pretty much indestructible. He'll be fine."  
With the rest of the Team speaking their consent, they made their way to the Bioship, M'Gann painfully aware that every step she took, took her further and further from the tough clone.

She watched as the soldiers tested on him. It hurt her to see someone, as dear to her heart as he was get tortured like that. She was quite certain he wouldn't remember, but she didn't care: Superboy was her best friend, whether she could dig the memories out of his ravaged brain or not.  
With a new burst of confidence, she leapt into the tent with a tiger-like roar. Everyone stopped to turn and look at her, but by this time, her fists were already flying. She swung left and right, laying out anyone and everyone in range. She finally skidded to a halt when the psychic known as Simon came in to view in front of her. She narrowed her eyes at him, and before he could make some smart remark, decked him out with a single blow from her powerful paw.  
Whirling around, she found the tent deserted. Smiling in satisfaction, she dodged over to the control panel that operated the machine that held Superboy to the wall and hit the only button that seemed safe to hit. The clasps around his wrists released and she watched him groggily open his eyes. He let out an animalistic roar and leaped at her. She raised a hand and stopped his fist without effort. He let out a cry of anger and tried to hit her with his other hand, which was also easily stayed. Then she whirled around and banged his head against the metal machine in the corner so hard, it split in two. She dropped him, muttering to herself, "Cognitive recalibration…" as if to justify her actions. (LOL, got that from Avengers 3)  
She turned to snap the metal around the huge sphere in the middle of the room. It rolled down, blinking lights and making odd beeping sounds. After months of surveying the project, she'd come to understand the fascinating little creatures. She bent down so she was at the assumed 'eyelevel' with the machine and cooed at it. "Well aren't you just the cutest damn thing?" she murmured, patting it on the head. It made more beeping sounds, flashing red and pink lights. She smiled and beckoned it to follow her. She picked up the unconscious Superboy and threw him over her shoulder easily. Then, she launched herself into the air.  
She looked down to see the sphere roll out of the tent to stop beneath her, flashing lights and making noises. She smiled, taking it as a 'lead the way' kind of gesture, and flew off into the night, never looking back, or stopping to consider the teammates she knew he had.

* * * * *

Batman called a meeting in the briefing room. It had been almost 15 hours since they'd brought Aqualad back, and the League had promised to search for Superboy while the Team took care of Kaldur. However, their efforts were not rewarded. The Team gathered around to see the Dark Knight standing alone in the middle of the room. M'Gann couldn't help herself. "Where's Superboy?" she asked, her voice quiet, and dreading what she unconsciously knew he was going to say.  
"The League searched everywhere within the entire desert," Batman explained, skillfully dodging the question. "We scanned, checked security footage, and even used Superman's X-ray vision to check for an underground base as a precaution. All we found…" he turned and pulled up a video on the screen that always seemed to materialize out of nowhere. "Was this."  
It was a security video of some kind. There was a blurred shot on a camera, focused on a tent in the middle of the desert. A figure flew out of the top, the unmistakable mass of Superboy thrown easily over her shoulder. She paused, looking down, then flew straight towards the camera. As she passed it, it short-circuited. Batman shut it off when there was only static left. The Team stared in stunned silence. "We cannot identify the person who's taken Superboy. She's not a registered citizen in any state, and we can't find any records of her. Of coarse, the video was very vague. We'll have to investigate further to say for certain where or where not to look for Superboy," he explained in his usual monotone.  
The Team was completely and utterly shocked. Not only had someone taken Superboy, but the League couldn't figure out who it was. M'Gann was frantic. "We have to find him!" she cried, her hands already shaking. It had been her call to help Aqualad rather than rescue Superboy. And now, even when he wasn't being tested on like an animal, he was still out of her reach, and she felt helpless. It hurt her a lot to be in this situation.  
"We will. The League is still searching. Until we find him, I expect you all to keep your focus on missions." And with that last heart-warming statement, Batman left, leaving the rest of the Team in a state of shock and confusion. They'd lost a teammate, and a friend. How on Earth did they fix this? M'Gann began (LOL, more rhymes! XD) to cry softly, holding her face in her palms. Artemis patted her on the shoulder comfortingly. The day had been traumatizing, and everyone was tired. They would help the League search as much as they were allowed in the morning.

~~(Elsewhere)~~

Superboy blinked his eyes open, sitting up from the cold concrete floor with a groan. His head spun, and his vision was blurred. "What happened?" he mumbled groggily, not really expecting an answer.  
"A telepath. His name's Simon, I think. Wiped your guys' memories, last six months apparently. You didn't exist six months ago, so you were pretty much attacking everything in sight."  
Superboy jumped, startled. He whipped his head around to stare at the girl across the room. She held herself very casually, not scared in the slightest of him. Her shoulder-length brunette hair was slightly untidy from sleep, or lack there of, and her eyes were a strangely familiar shade of grape-violet. Twin scars were laced over each eye, going down in a gentle curve before turning to one side abruptly and then returning to their downward twist, ending just above her jaw line. Her head had two large catlike ears attached to it, matching her skin color. Her feet were stretched and predatory, feline in origin, perfect for springboard movements. A fluffy tail was rested around her, four layers of color adding to its abnormality. Not that there was anything normal about a girl with scars, elongated feet, cat ears, and a tail. She cocked her head to one side faintly. Her upper half was clothed in a dark grey tube top and a blueberry-colored cat collar with a silver tag. Her feline feet were wrapped in white cloth, though now that he looked closer, her feet considerably more like a raptor dinosaur's than a cat's hind paws. Her legs were clothed in black pants that came down to the cloth wrappings, seeming to be hidden under some of it.  
The two locked eyes, and he noticed that her pupils looked hollow, more like rings than the solid circles of black that were usually associated with pupils. Hers were neither solid, nor black; her pupils sported an odd color of very dark eggplant-purple. She flicked an ear at him.  
"Did… Did I hurt anyone?" he finally got out.  
"As far as I know, your teammates are all fine," the mysterious girl replied.  
"How… If this Simon guy wiped our minds, how'd you get me my memories back?" he asked. "Are you a telepath too?"  
She shook her head. "Cognitive recalibration," she responded shortly. When he gave her a clueless look, she smiled, and translated, "I hit you really hard on the head."  
Superboy looked even more confused. "How could you hit me hard enough? I'm invulnerable!" he protested.  
The girl let out a soft, vibrating laugh. "If I didn't know better, I'd say you're accusing me of it!" she said amusedly. "For your information, I could punch through this wall if I wanted to." She tapped one of her feet against the concrete wall. "However, I had to use one of the metal thingies that were there for it since there weren't any concrete walls around," she mused.  
Superboy tilted his head to one side. It didn't make sense to him. She acted as if she knew him, even though he'd never met her in his life. However, her appearance was startlingly familiar. He could recall some time before the Team, he'd talked with someone, laughed with them, enjoyed their company. Someone had been his friend before he could even remember it. He was convinced that this girl was that friend. "Were you my friend once?" he asked, blunt as usual.  
A small smile tugged at the corners of her mouth. "You catch on fast. Yes, we were friends."  
"When? And why don't I remember?" he persisted.  
The smile pegged down noticeably. "It was… It was a long time ago. When you were in Cadmus." Superboy stiffened at the name and glared suspiciously at the girl. How did she know about that? "I was there when you were first created. I was an experiment too." She brushed her brown hair off her left shoulder to reveal a number branded into the skin: 13-07. He stared in horrified fascination at the burned skin as she continued. "They told me to keep an eye on you sometimes, and I did just that the first few times. But then… One day I decided you shouldn't be held prisoner like that. I melted you out. I explained things to you, like the concept of reading and writing. I told you about the lunar and solar cycles. I think I remember bringing you a butterfly once. It was all secret though. Or at least it was supposed to be."  
Superboy heard her voice tighten as she continued. "We were found out. Dr. Desman came in, and when he saw us, he was beyond furious. He ordered the Genomorphs on us, and they beat us up pretty bad, despite our joint super-strength." It occurred to Superboy here that that was how she preformed Cognitive Recalibration. Perhaps she'd been cloned from Superman too? "They scratched me over the eyes, and gave me the scars over my eyes. They tried to kill me, and I'm sure it looked like it worked. My heart did actually stop for about a minute. But when they got rid of my body, I was dragged through that place where their electrical bugs are housed, and a little bit of discharge got on me. It killed the Genomorph, but it brought me back to life. But… I couldn't see."  
It dawned on Superboy. Her hollow eggplant-colored pupils were a result of injury. The Genomes had blinded her.  
"I was scared at first, because I wasn't really looking at anything, and all I could see was black. Then I turned, and I could see white outlines in my black world. That's all I can see now. I've all but forgotten what I look like.  
"But after I found out I could see, I went back to your room in the Sublevels. I found you beating the crap out of anything and everything in sight, until one of the Genomorph Gnomes got into your head and forced you to calm down. They changed your memories. They made it seem like the Genomorphs had taught you things. They suppressed your memories of me. But there was one thing they couldn't suppress: Your rage after my death. That's why you're always angry. Because somewhere in the back of your mind, your conscience just can't let go of the image of my body lying dead on the floor."  
It all came back so fast it made his head spin.  
He remembered the day she brought him that butterfly; it was midnight blue, with purple rings on its wings (yay, more rhyming!), spindrift streaks near the body, and small aqua dots inside the rings. Its body was an unnatural silvery color, and it had perched on her hand, the hand she held out to him to show him the bug. They'd laughed when it landed right on his nose, but that laughter had vanished when they were attacked.  
He remembered seeing her fall from a massive slash to the neck; right after Desman himself had scratched her over the eyes. He recalled the fierce anguish and rage that followed. After a rampage, he evoked the memory of something invading his mind before it all went fuzzy. He blinked back to reality with his eyes stinging. Were those tears trying to force themselves from his eyes? All that tight, suppressed anger he always had buried at the pit of his stomach suddenly bubbled up and vanished completely. For the first time in his life, he didn't feel angry about something that had been kept from him. He felt relieved. And something else occurred to him. The name of his friend:  
"Lynx?"


	2. Chapter 2

Missing in Action (or) What Was Forgotten

The Team and the League had been searching for Superboy for about a week now. They had raided every super villain hideout they knew of, and even some they didn't, but they couldn't find anything. They'd tracked every camera in the world, and they were constantly on surveillance for both Superboy and his kidnapper. The girl, who kidnapped him, as they guessed she was around his age, was obviously an expert. She had left no traces of her existence in the tent, except for the large dent in the metal machine, which they assumed she'd used to sedate Superboy with. Which, in turn, lead them to believe she possessed super-strength, making her even more dangerous. How many other Leaguers or Team members would she capture? What was she doing to Superboy right now? Both questions everyone was asking in such a dark time.

"Hahaha! Go faster!" Lynx laughed.  
Superboy grinned. "You want to go faster? Alright!" he yelled back. He sped up his pace until he was sprinting through the forest, making his passenger cling to his shoulders with her hands and legs and laugh harder. His long-lost friend was sitting on his shoulders, legs dangling on either side of his head, her hands gripping onto the neck of his shirt for dear life.  
"Is that all you got?" she shouted over the wind.  
"Not even close!"  
They sped up even more, her laughing like a maniac and him with a smile on his face that was alien to his former personality. The two were very happy in each other's company, especially since Superboy's ever-present anger had been calmed and diminished. The knowledge that his best friend was alive felt better than punching someone in the face! Incredible. (that's how Superboy thinks, yes! XD) Lynx seemed just as happy about it, considering she hadn't really properly seen him in almost a year. They were at that moment racing through a forest in Michigan, allowing they to have a good time in the state Lynx loved so much. She'd kept him cooped up in that concrete shack he' woken up in for the first six days, making sure he remembered everything and helping him to recall things he couldn't. They'd found it very easy to be friends again, and had been closer for their time apart. Lynx told him everything, and he listened. He told her things all the time too; missions, how his teammates annoyed and baited him (*cough, cough, * Wally! *ahem! *), and how he had mixed feelings about the whole Superman's-your-Dad issue. She had insisted, 'If he can't see how much he's missing by rejecting you, he's not worth your time.'  
"Alright, hold on, I'm gonna jump!" Superboy hollered over the rushing wind. Lynx laughed and gripped tighter, winding her tail tightly around his arm for good measure. He smirked and bunched up his thick muscles. He slowed his pace for just long enough to launch himself into the air. Lynx let out an exhilarated and terrified cry of "Oh my God!" as they flew through the air.  
They finally landed several hundred yards away. Lynx was gripping her friend tightly, eyes wide, tail fluffed up and digging her claws into the clone's shoulders. He winced at the sharp nails digging into his shoulders. "Ow, okay, Lynx? No claws, please," he requested.  
"Oh God! Sorry!" she apologized quickly. She retracted her claws and inspected the wound. "Oh my kittens, Superboy, you're bleeding!"  
"It's a few scratches, I'm not going to drop dead," he assured. "Let that be a lesson to not do that again, please."  
She chuckled nervously and he smiled. "So, you wanted to do something in town?" he switched the topic. She seemed relieved. "Yeah. You ever had ice-cream?"

"I'm serious! I swear it was the most satisfying thing in the world, seeing him just lying on the floor!" Lynx exclaimed. She paused to take a cheerful lick of her strawberry ice cream.  
"Covered in whipped cream," Superboy added with a chuckle. He licked a little bit of his chocolate ice cream that had dripped off his fingers.  
The two were laughed and joking through the warm streets of Michigan. She was wearing her tail like a fur belt, and she had a denim cap on her head to cover her cat ears. She was dressed in a sleeveless red turtleneck shirt to hide the gills on the sides of her neck, and combat boots to hide her feet. She still got a few weird stares for the scars on her face, but she looked more or less like a normal person. Superboy was just wearing a silver fedora, as Lynx had insisted, and his usual black shirt, only it had been turned inside out to hide the red Superman symbol.  
Lynx sobered from her endless fit of laughter at Superboy's comment, to smile at her surroundings softly. "I really love Ann Arbor, ya'know?" she said.  
Superboy nodded, smiling as well. "It's a nice place. Quieter than Happy Harbor, at least," he remarked. She looked at him with a quirked eyebrow. Her eyes were bright and amused, a twisted, snarky half-smirk on her heart-shaped face. "Happy Harbor? What kind of a name is that? It sounds so cheesy."  
Superboy let out a short bark of laughter. "It is, trust me."  
The two walked on in compatible silence. The sun shone down from the sky, kindly refraining from burning Lynx's sensitive-looking vanilla skin. A group of disgustingly pink girls passed, giggling at Superboy's 'cuteness', and asking where Lynx bought her 'gorgeous fur belt.' She and Superboy snickered at that, and she replied it was 'One of a kind', causing them both to go into a fit of more noticeable laughter. The girls gave them weird looks, but the dynamic duo just kept walking, sniggering and whispering to each other about their joint hate for bright colors (Lynx especially hated pink). They walked through the city, throwing away their empty ice cream cones. Unbeknownst to them, they were on camera.

The members of Young Justice stared at the screen in confusion. They'd never seen Superboy so happy before. In fact, none of them had ever seen Superboy happy. And yet, there he was, laughing and smiling and joking around with the girl who kidnapped him. M'Gann insisted (with a hint of jealousy) that he was under mind-control of some sort. Or did the girl kill Superboy and replace him with a much more cheerful clone? Robin insisted that was redundant, considering Superboy was a clone. No matter what the theory was, all five of them were in shock. Who was this girl that could make Superboy smile? It seemed odd that Superboy had turned his shirt inside out, and that he was wearing a hat. Robin guessed that was the girl's idea. She seemed to have unique fashion sense herself. Besides a red turtleneck and black jeans, she also wore combat boots and a denim cap. Nobody failed to notice the fluffy fur belt she was wearing, either.  
Just then, she turned her head on camera to smile at Superboy and the Team caught sight of her face. She had a straight nose, and a somewhat sharp face, despite its sweet heart shape. Across either eye was a twisted scar, both stopping just above her jaw line, both faded but noticeable. Superboy smiled back at her, making everyone watching from the room cringe, and the girl suggested something, opening her eyes. Everyone gasped quietly. The girl had purple eyes, which was unusual in itself, but her pupils were purple too! Darker purple, like an eggplant color, and hollow, like rings. Was the girl blind?  
And if she was, how on Earth did she kidnap Superboy?

Lynx bit her lip and tapped her hand on the counter. She bobbed her head side to side, listening intently. Superboy glanced over at her and chuckled. Her eyes were closed and she was grinning. He walked over and tapped her on the shoulder. She lifted one side of the set of black headphones attached to her head, giving him a quizzical look. "What are you listening to?" he prompted.  
She smiled and pulled the headphones off her head. She slid them around his ears, and his sensitive ears were pleasantly surprised by the quietness of the song. A song he didn't recognize swirled through the thick headphone speakers. It was sounded bright and sort of techno, but lighter. The album was Maybe I'm Dreaming by Owl City. He checked the song. He identified the song as 'Rainbow Veins' by the same artist. He turned to Lynx, about to make a comment, only to find her hand in his face, silencing him.  
He peaked around her hand questioningly, only to see a suspicious expression plastered to her face. Her eyes darted around the store, and her ears twitched under the hat. She looked sideways at him and whispered, "Someone's watching us."  
Superboy tried to stretch up and look, but Lynx tugged him back down unnoticeably. "Are you crazy?" she hissed through her teeth, a fake smile on her face. She went back to sorting through CDs, as if nothing was wrong. "We can't let them know we've spotted them."  
Superboy made a tiny nod; so small only Lynx could have seen it. He turned back to the shelf, faking enjoyment of the situation. Lynx made a casual adjustment of her hat, nothing suspicious. But to Superboy, it meant time to move. He turned around and asked her quietly if she was okay with staying here, and he was going to go back to 'the house'. Lynx agreed, and he moved off. She knew full well whoever was watching them couldn't track two people at once.  
She watched the stalker through the curtain of her hair. He was in a jacket and a hat, and he seemed very torn between his two targets. Should he stay and watch the kidnapper? Or should he go and find out where the 'victim' was going? Go after Superboy, she willed the man. As if hearing her, we went after her friend. She smiled triumphantly, although no one was around. "Time for the Kitty Cat to show off," she muttered to herself. She dropped the music album and took off the headphones. Dropping both back on the rack, she turned and walked out of the store.


	3. Chapter 3

Broken Friendships & Returning Home  
Lynx watched passively as the mysterious figure tailed Superboy. She was walking behind him at an average pace, casually looking ahead but turning when a noise was heard, even though she only needed to hear know what was going on. She adjusted her hat on her head as a breeze whistled past. She plastered a cheery smile on her face, walking normally but making sure to keep her targets in sight. She made a catty noise in the back of her throat that she was sure Superboy heard. It was her signal to him to veer off so she could take care of their problem.  
Clearly hearing her, Super boy turned off into the woods, walking a somewhat well-trodden path. The assailant hesitated, looking around a couple times, trying to spot her. She pulled her hat over her face and walked past him noiselessly, headed away from her friend and the mystery man. Seeming satisfied with his visual search of the crowd, the man turned and walked quietly after Superboy. Lynx walked a few more yards before stopping, looking around to make she wasn't being watched, and disappeared into the forest after the clone.  
She walked through the forest casually, tearing off some of her clothes. She discarded the hat on the ground, as well as her shoes. She untied her tail from its uncomfortable position around her waist, letting it fall behind her like the glorious furl of fur that it was. She arched her back and stretched, tearing off her turtleneck to reveal the camisole beneath. She didn't bother changing into her usual pants. It would waste time, she decided. Figuring she'd given them enough lead, she opened her jaws and made a noise like a lion's roar mixed with a human's yell. That was another signal to Superboy. It was time the follower lost his trail. She dropped onto all fours and sped off into the woodland. She moved almost silently, catlike grace allowing her to maneuver beautifully. She came to a halt when she heard Superboy approaching. He was being fairly quiet by his standards, and he leaked past her with relative ease. She waited patiently for the other figure to catch up.  
She heard him coming long before she saw or scented him. He was making quite the racket, crashing through the brush, trying to catch up to the fleeing clone. Lynx waited until he was a few yards in front of the tree, then she sprang into action. Literally.  
She bunched her muscles and leapt from the tree. She slammed into her opponent rather forcefully by any normal standard, but of coarse she had to throw that tackle. Had she really tackled him, she would have broken his back, and probably every other bone in his body. She brought her shoulder over, twisting in the air and using her mass to slam the man back against a tree. Getting over the initial shock swiftly, the man struck out at her. Not wanting to be caught on the camera she was sure he had on him somewhere, she ducked and head-butted him in the gut. He grunted and fell back, landing with a defined 'thud' on the grass. She spun around and kicked out at him, nailing him in the face, still holding back from using her full strength. He fell back with a moan. She quickly pulled forward and ducked down by his head to hide from cameras. She quickly identified the little pin on his shirt as said object and removed it from him without delay. She put her hand over it to hide herself from view and began to speak. "You can't find my on your fancy gadgets and such because I don't exist. You can't find me, or Superboy, if I don't want you to. Superboy is still recovering from his experience. I suggest you sod off until I think he's ready to be reintroduced to the stressful environment you put him in," she said, her voice calm, but her body on edge. Then she crushed the camera with her bare hands.

The Team walked into the briefing room to find Batman waiting for them. "What's the situation?" Aqualad asked, serious and ready for business.  
"Our agent tracking Superboy was attacked."  
The room was filled with gasps and stunned silences. Batman ignored this, and turned to pull up a video on the holoscreen. A video popped up of the person following Superboy through a forest. "Where is this?" Robin inquired, eyes never leaving the screen.  
"Ann Arbor, Michigan."  
"Now what would they want there?" Robin muttered to himself, face darkening as he continued to watch the film.  
The agent followed Superboy for several minutes without incident, when suddenly a strange, yowling scream cut through the paper-thin silence. A moment passed, before Superboy bolted. The agent started, and went after him. In his haste, he forgot to conceal himself, and the noise of him crashing through foliage was evident. Superboy passed under a tree a considerable ways ahead, but when the agent got to the tree, something slammed into him and smashed him into another tree. The agent stuck at his assailant, the figure ducked and appeared to head-butt their agent in the stomach, evoking a loud, painful vocalization before he fell back onto the grass. A shadowed leg came in a blur and nailed the agent in the face. The mysterious attacker blurred by the screen and ducked down, out of the range of the videotape. A hand covered the lens, and a feminine voice crackled in on the audio receiver. "You can't find my on your fancy gadgets and such because I don't exist. You can't find me, or Superboy, if I don't want you to. Superboy is still recovering from his experience. I suggest you sod off until I think he's ready to be reintroduced to the stressful environment you put him in." The camera caught a snapping sound before it cut off and the Team was left staring at nothing but static.  
Robin was first to speak. "Rewind that," he ordered.  
Batman more than likely wasn't pleased at being ordered as such, but he gave no complaint or sign that he'd even noticed. He did as his protégé ordered/requested and rewound the tape until Robin shouted, "Stop!" The tape paused on a blurry picture of the villain. The young bird pulled up a holopad, typed a few commands, and hit a key. The picture refocused several times. The Team found themselves staring at a picture of a teenage girl with a scar over either eye. The hat was gone, as was the turtleneck shirt, revealing a white camisole beneath. The fur belt turned out to actually be a tail, and her pale face was contorted, baring her fangs, pinning her cat ears back, and giving her violet eyes a dangerous, feral look. Robin observed the picture for a few seconds, then zoomed in on the girl's shoulder. He refocused the picture again until the entire Team had a clear view of the number branded onto her shoulder. Robin put his face in his hands, Kaldur and Wally shook their heads, Artemis sighed, and M'Gann covered her mouth with her hands in horror. "Looks like she's from Cadmus," Robin muttered. "Apparently they want him back more than we thought."

"Why did you do that?"  
Lynx turned around at the angry exclamation. Superboy stood at the other side of the clearing, glaring at her crossly. She stood up and spread her hands out before herself in an appeasing manner. "What did you think I would do? I told you we were being followed," she replied, her tone soft but firm. She wasn't going to budge about this.  
"You never said by who!" her friend snapped.  
She flinched.  
"If I'd known it was by the League, I'd have gone back!" he growled. "Don't you think I miss the Team?"  
Lynx's eyes hardened. "Don't you think I missed you? You were technically dead to me for, like, six months. I'm your best friend! You've barely been missing for a few days!" she exclaimed, her temper beginning to flare. "I don't get what they're so worried about!"  
"I've been 'missing!' They think you kidnapped me, Lynx!" he barked, he, too, growing angry. "I don't want to run like I'm a fugitive! It's me they're looking for! I'll leave the running to you."  
Lynx parted her jaws in shock, eyes widening, but brow remaining furrowed. Her eyes swam with hurt, anger, and defiance. She closed her mouth wit a audible 'snap' before freezing her gaze into the coldest, most wrathful glower she could muster with her heart literally falling apart inside her chest. "Fine then! I'll run away and you'll never see me again. You go back to the friends that tease you, and bait you, and make you do things that could eventually get you killed!" she shouted, voice rising in pitch and volume until she was screaming at him. "Leave me, the one who rescued you, the one who's been there for you since the start, to run from your people and die alone! Go ahead! Go back to your precious Team!"  
Superboy's jaw had dropped about halfway through her rant. He looked shocked, more with himself than with her, and he looked like he was about to say something when Lynx threw up a hand and turned away. She shot a glare over her shoulder at him before jerking her face away from him, clenching her fists, and leaping into the air. Panicking, Superboy yelled after her, "Lynx!" But she was already flying away.

'Access: Superboy, C09.'  
The entire Team did a double take. Superboy (clear as day, in the flesh, etc.) came sulking through the Zeta-Tube with a drag in his step and a dejected look on his face. He stopped only a few steps into the cave, head still hanging, just barely managing to greet his friends. "Hey," he muttered.  
They all stared at him for approximately ten whole seconds before M'Gann decided to get up, fly at him and hug him for all she was worth. That seemed to get the rest of the Team out of their dazed states, and they, too, came to him to welcome him back. The elephant in the room was still very much alive, as the Team noted how forced his smiles looked, and how much pain was bottled up behind his eyes. It didn't take a genius to tell something was wrong.  
Aqualad asked first. "What happened to you, my friend?" he inquired, firm but calming at the same time.  
Superboy shook his head. "She didn't kidnap me," he stated.  
"She?" M'Gann echoed, jealousy in her voice. Superboy took no notice.  
"She rescued me. Her name was Lynx," he murmured. His gaze hadn't lifted form the floor.  
There was a long silence, but Robin stepped forward. "What happened to her?" he prompted.  
Superboy shook his head again, letting a sigh escape his lips. He pushed past his friends, replying as he went, "I lost her again…"


	4. Chapter 4

_**Break-In and Breakdown**_

"Dark the stars, and dark the moon. Hush the night and the morning loon…"

A lone voice echoed through the empty Canadian forest, a hopeless attempt to fill the suffocating silence. The night was cold, and the isolated figure crouched on the ground, hovering over a sputtering fire, was quaking at the feet of nature's power. Her long, furry tail was spiked up and wrapped around her shoulders, acting as a scarf. Her lilac eyes had a hallow, sad look in them. Lynx was alone once again, dying once again, on the inside.

Now all she had was her own voice to keep her company.

"Gone their master, gone their son," she sang, her voice was quiet, but in the silence of the forest, it felt loud, and clamoring. "Dark the oceans, dark the sky. Hush the whales and the ocean tide…"

Her body sent the echoes of a violent shudder down her spine. She clenched her teeth to keep them from chattering. She sucked in a weary breath and breathed out gently over the fire, getting a small flare in response. Her hind claws sank into the dirt, unconsciously seeking warmth beneath its smooth surface. "Tell the salt marsh and beat on your drum. Gone their master, gone their son."

Sparks rose into the sky like a swirling column of dust. Lynx stared into the fire absent-mindedly. It seemed as though the lighted torch she kept in her eyes had died to a few, spluttering ashes, or so she felt. Her life was difficult and complicated. She knew she shouldn't have lashed out at Superboy, but she also knew it wasn't entirely her fault. It was simple psychology that Superboy merely felt that, as his best friend, she should have supported him rather than disagreed with him, and he lashed out. That wasn't acceptable in her book, but she would only get that through his head if she taught it to him slowly.

She had to go back.

"Dark to light, and light to dark."

She had to find Superboy and say she was sorry.

"Three black carriages, three white carts."

She had to go back and make things right with the League.

"What brings us together is what pulls us apart."

She had to go back and make peace with the Team.

"Gone our brother, gone our heart…"

Lynx sighed heavily and laid her head down on the soft, frosty earth. She snuggled up to the fire as close as she dared and tightened her tail around her shoulders for the night. She crossed her arms over her chest and hugged her arms. She snuggled her head down into a craned, stretched position, trying desperately to escape the cold. She closed her eyes with a small exhale.

Tomorrow. Tomorrow she would find him. Tomorrow she would seek out Superboy and set everything right.

With a final sigh, she drifted off to sleep.

It had been three days since Superboy arrived back. The League had questioned him thoroughly, and Martian Man-Hunter had searched his mind (much to his displeasure), but the League could find no explanation for Superboy's absence other than what he told them. Superboy had said close to nothing, only giving one-word responses to most questions, or being very blunt and straightforward when questioned by the League. He was never angry, like he would have been before, he was merely hallow, and isolated. He didn't even snap at his friends if they pried or teased. He was a shell of himself, or so it appeared.

He was mourning. He had lashed out at his best friend in the world, which resulted in her lashing out in return. He lost her again; that was what he said more than anything. M'Gann was green with envy, no pun intended. She was under some distorted impression, and Superboy either wasn't aware, or was too low to bother. Nothing seemed to be enough to drag him out of his dark mood.

He sulked in his room, or in the living room. He didn't move too much, and refused to train. He went between stages of gorging himself, and shunning food. He would sometimes be caught rubbing the top of his skull. When questioned, he would mutter something along the lines of 'cognitive recalibration' before falling silent once again.

All in all, Superboy was in a bad state. And to be like that for over seventy-two hours was no small thing.

Superboy was moping on the couch, watching the static again. Artemis was at home with her mother, while Wally was stuffing his face in the kitchen, and M'Gann was baking cookies. The silence was so thick, you could cut it like bread.

Robin and Aqualad came in, wiping sweat off their foreheads. They took one glance at Superboy and knew nothing had been said since they left to spar. Robin sighed and walked over to the kitchen, where he caught Wally by the shoulder. The ginger speedster turned around with a candy bar sticking out of his mouth. He mumbled a greeting around it. Robin couldn't help but smile a little. "Hey Wal," he greeted back.

Wally swallowed his mouthful and grinned at his friend. "How was sparring?"

Robin quirked an eyebrow. "It was sparring, Wal," he stated blandly.

"I know, but it's so _BORING_ with Supey all sulky and stuff!" he griped loudly. He didn't catch the venomous glare said clone burned into the back of his skull.

Robin punched him in the shoulder with a sort-of cackle.

"What do you think she said, anyways?" Wally asked.

Once again, he was ignorant to Superboy's reaction; his head jerked up sharply, and his eyes sparked to attention.

"I mean, it had to be pretty bad for Superboy to lash out at her and bad enough to make her leave, right?" he reasoned.

Superboy's blue eyes darkened.

"Bet it was some jab about him being a clone, or something," Wally laughed.

Superboy let out a wild yell. Everyone's' heads snapped up at the sound, eyes wide with shock. The infuriated clone narrowly missed smashing the speedster's head in. Wally stared at him with wide eyes, shrinking away.

"DON'T YOU DARE TALK ABOUT LYNX THAT WAY!" he roared. "She hasn't done anything wrong! It was my fault! She had nothing to do with it!" This was the most energy he'd shown in three days. It wasn't a very positive energy. "She knows! She knows what it's like! She would never talk about Cadmus like it's a joke!" he was practically screaming by now. His face contorted into a half-snarl, half-sneer. "You know what? I'm done."

He turned on his heel and stalked furiously out of the room. The rest of the Team gave a jolt and followed him out of the room, shouting protests that he was being unfair. He ignored them, growling low in his throat in rage. He marched straight to the Zeta Tubes, and was about to transport wherever they could take him, when his feet were lifted straight off the ground. He gave a startled yelp, before swinging his head around to level a glare at M'Gann.

"PUT ME DOWN!" he demanded, fury coursing through his body.

M'Gann flinched.

"LET ME GO!" he snarled wildly.

Arguments broke out. Everyone was speaking at once, and nobody wanted to listen. M'Gann was trying not to cry, yelling incoherent words in Martian. Robin and Aqualad were firmly insisting on Superboy's staying, while trying to calm things down at the same time. Kid Flash was complaining about Superboy being selfish. If someone had tried to step in and help, they probably wouldn't have been able to get a word in edgewise. As it would happen, the person who _did_ end up interrupting didn't have to speak at all; the alarms that blared through Mount Justice spoke for her.

The Team instantly stopped all activity, unfortunately causing M'Gann to drop Superboy – right on his butt. They all threw themselves into a defensive group stance. Their eyes collectively darted to the Zeta Tubes as the computer announced, 'Warning: Unauthorized override. Intruder entering cave.'

The Zeta Tubes flashed with white light and a form became visible. Robin was first to act, throwing a smoke grenade at the girl's feet. She gave a yelp of surprise, but the Team didn't wait for her to recover. Aqualad pulled out his water maces and swung one out into the smoke. There was a grunt, but the Team leader was surprised when he found himself yanked inwards, caught by the head, and then thrown to the ground forcefully. Miss Martian sent a wave of psychic energy at the intruder, and she instantly crumpled to the ground. Kid Flash dashed forward, intending to tie up the trespasser, only to find himself being yanked to the ground; the girl snarled at him like a feral beast, tugging at his ankle and flinging him over her head like he weighed absolutely nothing. Robin came at her next, armed with his bo-staff. Now the girl stood up, despite the pressing psychic force, and caught the staff as the young hero swung it. She yanked it from his grasp easily, before throwing a punch at his gut, which knocked him back a few feet. He fell to the floor, winded, only to be wrenched off of it and stripped of his belt. The girl promptly deflected the blow he weakly aimed at her head, before pulling his arm to the max. He let out a strangled cry, but her arm snaking around his neck and locking him in a tight chokehold quickly cut it off.

"Lynx!"

The girl stopped, hands just about to snap her attacker's neck. She looked over, seeing the blue eyes of her best friend staring right into her soul. She loosened her hold, but no matter how Robin struggled, he could not get free of her vise grip. Her lips parted slightly and her eyes clouded over with emotion. Superboy shook his head at her, motioning towards Robin.

Lynx understood in an instant. She released him, allowing him to fall to the floor and gasp for breath. She took a step back, hands trembling, and body quaking. Her voice shook as she said, "Superboy, I'm sorry…"

Tears welled in her eyes. Superboy's face crinkled into a sympathizing look. He stepped forward and wrapped his friend in a comforting hug. "Sh, it's okay," he murmured as she cried into his shirt.

Lynx would not hear it. "No, Superboy, it's not okay!" she sobbed. "I shouldn't have got mad at you! I know how much your friends mean to you! I was just so _angry_ because, b-because, I thought I was your best friend, and then when you said you'd leave the running to me… I'm sorry!"

Superboy's grip tightened. "It's alright Lynx, it was my fault too."

"Damn right it was your fault too!" she barked. "I understand _why _you lashed out, but you can't snap at people for disagreeing with you!" Tears were still pouring down her face, but her face was screwed up with anger and pain. Her claws dug into his arms slightly. "As your best friend, it's my job to support you, but it's also my job to smack some sense into you when you're being a jackass!"

"I know, Lynx, I'm sorry."

Lynx merely buried her face in his shirt again, hugging him close. "No you _don't_ know. But that's why I came back; so I can puppy-train you." Superboy chuckled, and Lynx smiled into his chest. She pulled back, a small smile on her face. "Sorry I snapped."

"Um, sorry to bust up the emotional junk, but that girl just tried to kill us," Wally pointed out, walking over with a sour expression on his face. Nobody failed to notice the large bump forming on his forehead.

Superboy turned to glare at him. "You attacked her first."

"She broke into the cave!" Robin protested, standing up. "Do you realize what kind of skills that takes?"

"It's not like you wouldn't have done the same," Superboy retorted.

"No, in fact, we _wouldn't_ have!" Wally yelled.

"You wouldn't have had to," Lynx muttered darkly from behind her best friend. When everyone turned their gazes to her, she shrank back, gripping the black-haired clone's shirt as a sort of anchor.

Wally glared. "What do _you_ know?"

Her face hardened by a degree. "Plenty," she muttered, too quiet for anyone to hear but Superboy. He looked at her in sympathy and put an arm around her shoulders.

M'Gann was practically seething. "What does she want here anyways?"

"I'm surprised you haven't tried to mess with my mind yet, Martian," Lynx hissed quietly, rebelliously.

Superboy shot her a warning glance.

Wally used his super-speed and was standing in front of her in less than a second. "Don't talk to her like that!" he shouted. "You don't know any of us!"

Lynx shrank back slightly, her eyes flashing, but said nothing.

Superboy opened his mouth, likely to defend her, but was cut off by the entry of the Justice League. The alarms blared deafeningly, and Lynx hid behind her best friend, violet eyes going wide as Batman, flanked on either side by Superman, Black Canary, Red Tornado, and Martian Manhunter, stared her down with narrowed, cowl-covered eyes.

The Dark Knight looked to Superboy. "You have a lot of explaining to do."

(((LINE)))

**Whew! Six pages on word, guys! SIX PAGES!**

**It's actually not such a big deal, I feel like I should've done more anyways, after I left you guys hanging for so long. Apologies for that, by the way. I had most of it written, but inspiration decided to be fickle and desert me for a while. I wasn't sure how to end this chapter for the longest time… Then it just sort of came to me. Hope you guys like it! R&R!**

**Vamp.**

**P.S. Did anyone else love the new Star Trek? 'Cause I sure did!**


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